The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-11-05
The Corn Palace.

The Sioux City Iowa) Journal of a
recent date gave the following description
of the Corn Palace in that city, which has
elected the admiration and wouder of all
who have seen it ''The Corn Palace is
in truth revelation. The imposing ex-
terror of the unique structure inspires in
every beholder Just one initial sensation
wonder. It fronts on Fifth street 210 feet
and on jackson street 100 feet. Rising
from the centre of the structure, as at first
planned, 100 by 100 feet, is the dome or
cupola, surmounted by spire 100 feet
high. Each of the four corners rise boldly
into square pavilions. The extension now
includes on the Fifth-street front Armory
Hall also, and beyond that, two additional
pavilions, companions in form to the four
paviiions of the original plan, making, as
before stated, frontage on Fifth street of
21O feet. Imagine such magnificent pro-
portions, broken by the pavilion towers, by
projecting minarets, by arched openings
and immense panels; behind them rising in
relief the great roof; above all the towering
cupola and spire, connected in relief with
the pavilions with flying buttresses-imag-
inc these proportions clothed all about with
the products of the cornfeld and decked
out with these in a profusion of beauty
one grand harmonious whole, stately wit
ness of the bursting bounty of the North
west, the realm of King Corn. 1t is a
spectacle to enchain attention, to command
admiration.
"All there is in proportion, dimensions;
all there is in symmetry of outline, to ex-
cite admiration-all is there. And all
there is in color, in its contrasts, variety
and blending, is there in a wonderful de-
gree.
@Take the great fronts of the structure
on Fifth and Jackson streets, and none
who have not seen would believe that such
magical effects could be wrought out of the
materials of the cornfeld Take the 210.
feet frontage on Fifth street, and every
square inch of it is wrought into some cum
ming and representative form of the king
of products The walls rise one harmo-
nious, though variegated, mass of the stalk
and leaf; at the base, wicker-work green as
the rushes of the Nile, and here and there
pendant, in rich contrast, are the golden
ears. The double arches of the openings
in the pavilions are faced with rows of ears,
sometimes richly fringed with the husk,
sometimes of one color and sometimes Of
another, now in one form and again in
another. Then the great panelsin the
body of the wall and the columns rising
high to the battiement-here is one of the
special marvels of the unique creation, or
their scores of marvels. In each of a score
of these panels or divisions there is wrought
some design, here diamond and there a
checker, here motto and there some other
inscription wrought from corn Of dozen
kinds and dozen hues-golden, yellow,
pure white, blood red, violet, and SO on.
Against these ingenious forms of beauty
stands the quiet, but none the less effec-
tive, beauty of the corn-clad columns,
broken by the columns around which are
bound the russet blades of the corn plant
and graceful combination of grains and
grasses. Along the upper line of the front
runs a shiny hem of oats, interspersed in
places by the dark seed of the sorghum
plant, corn ears of flaming red, or some
other relieving color. Still above rise the
graceful minarets, raimented in rich colors
Of native grasses, and crowned with tufts
of millet and flying banners. In the back
ground rises the roof, seeming solid mass
of corn almost, and from its tower the Gu
pola, its arches wrought like those below,
and here and there panels of curious forms
of corn, red, white, violet, yellow, and all
colors under the sun, surrounded and inter
woven with the plant itself, and other pro-
ducts in every conceivable shape.
'sThe like of it was never seen before.
As well he6ts, the general architecture is
unique In general contour more than
else it is Moorish, yet not altogether so.
Passing to the interior amazement finds
fresh stimulus at every turn. Here, too,
the decorations are wrought of the same
materials, yet on every side is found some
new fabric, some new combination, some
new design. In that vast space, from tur-
ret to foundation-stone, will be no single
handbreadth uncovered by some sunfower,
perfect in form and color, yet every fibre
from the compliant. Yonder are tiger
lilies, of the same elements, illusion perfect
who would have believed it? Every
where, bouquets, panels, ceilings, notices,
draperies, pendants stars, statues Of Ceres,
bells, lattice-work, beaded curtains, all
forms of farmers implements-every last
one made Of the corn or the plants that
grow with it. As you enter the wide por-
tai, above will be the seal official of the city
every bar aud coloring made of corn; be-